My husband and I were talking to another family a couple of Sundays ago about being back in the swing of school, extra curriculars and an overall busy schedule. The dad mentioned feeling an uptick of anxiety particularly on Sunday evenings. My husband sort of casually responded to him with; “yeah the Sunday Scaries.”
It was clear from our friends confused reaction that this was a term he had not heard of before. We went on to have a discussion around the worries that can start creeping up on Sunday as the start of the work week gets closer. Upon some research I did during the conversation (AKA a Google search), I found that LinkedIn reported 80% of professionals experience the Sunday Scaries. Worrying about workload, balancing professional with personal responsibilities and thinking about things that were undone from last week are just some of the reasons more than 1 in 3 professionals feel this each week.
As we were talking about this, our friend said that this was exactly what he felt. He has overall job satisfaction yet still these Sunday Scaries manage to creep in.
Students can also feel the Sunday Scaries making it possible that your entire household could be in a world of worry come Sunday evening.
It’s all fun and games Friday at 5pm but then the weekday looms and we start to feel uneasy.
While I am no means an expert on the topic, there are certain things I very intentionally do or strive to do in order to set our Sunday evenings and Monday mornings up for success. The weeks where I don’t follow through on these things, I am almost certain to feel an extra twinge of the Scaries.
Finish up on Fridays. This one is hard for me because in the excitement of getting the weekend started, I sometimes will log off of work with a couple of things not quite completed. I lie to myself that I will finish it up during the weekend or that it will be fine to wait until Monday. I always regret it. The Fridays that I truly tie up as much as possible, the less anxiety I will have come Sunday evening. Finding my kids backpacks on Sunday evening still full from Friday is a sure way to cause my stress to rise. I aim to get them to unpack on Friday and ensure they get a start to any assignments done before Saturday even hits; when possible. Extra relief comes when I can get some laundry done on Friday as well.
iStock: Wave Break Media
Go into the weekend with a plan. The Sunday Scaries tend to hit me hard when I feel like I completely lost control of the weekend. By Thursday of each week, I make every effort to have a plan for the weekend so my husband and I are aligned on what we have going on. I do the same each Thursday for the week ahead. This way when Sunday hits, I have at least thought through the upcoming week and it doesn’t hit me like a ton of bricks. Sure, schedules change last minute but this gives me an overall structure to the week. I aim to print it out or write it down so I have a helpful visual to calm my brain.
Realistic chores list. Yes, it would be great to get all the things done around the house that need to be taken care of. But that isn’t going to happen. Each Friday, I make a small list for each of my kids, my husband and myself. Even that doesn’t always get done. But when it does it leaves me feeling somewhat accomplished thus helping to minimize the Scaries.
Meal plan. When Sunday hits and I think about the busy week ahead trying to balance a full-time job with the schedules of two busy kids; it is overwhelming. While I am by no means one of those moms who whips up five nights of meals each Sunday to have on hand, I do plan out what we are going to eat. I also make sure I have what is needed for those meals. This helps me go into the week feeling somewhat organized thus batting off some of the Sunday Scaries.
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Drink less or not at all. I will admit, I have wasted hours of a Sunday because I made the decision to have one too many drinks the night before or to have a few drinks at a football gathering. Do yourself a favor and ensure you are being mindful of this so you can have a productive Sunday and not jeopardize the week ahead.
Exercise. Endorphins are a real thing that can truly give your body and mind a feel-good boost. Making time during the work week is equally important but I also ensure to do some sort of work out during the weekend to feel like I accomplished something good for myself. The Sunday Scaries hit hard when I end the weekend feeling like I didn’t do my body any favors.
iStock: Simon2579
Prep for Monday early on Sunday. I get stressed Sunday nights if I am rushing around trying to get things ready for the week. I pack up my lunch and my kids lunch early in the day on Sunday, we all get our work/school bags ready for the morning, and we eat an early dinner. This way we can get the kitchen clean and I can put my mind at ease knowing I am not going to be up until midnight prepping for the week.
Do you experience the Sunday Scaries? What are some tip you have to help minimize them and get your week off to a successful start? We’d love to hear!
Read more of Stephanie’s contributions to AllMomDoes here.
